Ninjago: Team Tempest
by FionnaAndCakeRocks
Summary: After the war with Chen, Garmadon realizes that the dimension where he trained to receive his four arms has become corrupted because of his dark actions, and that before he left, he never purified the temple. Without a way to purify it, Wu calls upon a team of three to temporarily get rid of the corruption. (OC to fix plot holes)
1. Prologue

**LONG TIME NO SEE, EVERYONE!** Holy cow, I cannot express enough how much I've missed this fandom. However, I've been really busy with school and animation camp. I'm ready to dip my toe into the pool again, though, with a WHOLE NEW STORY!

 **YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS. SO... PAY ATTENTION... PLEASE...**

This is not a continuation of Maiden of the Moon. At all. Actually, I'm taking out Lauren and Kaitlyn entirely. I know a lot of you will be thinking BUT LAUREN WAS THE ENTIRE CENTER OF NMOTM!

Okay. If you are sour about this, just go read NMoTM again. BECAUSE I'M DONE WITH IT. I'm so sorry to those who have read it and want more. I just got really behind, and I feel like its not able to be saved. I just didn't use my best skills. It wasn't very balanced, and... yeah. So anyway, let's move on to how this will work out.

So, this is going to center around three characters: Zane, Jay, and Suzanne. (There are reasons for this. Just read it and learn, please!)

I really think that I'll be able to bring out these characters nicely together. Okay, and as a final note:

Nya is absolutely done with both Cole and Jay. Completely. I think that if she were to put up with them for much longer, she'd probably kill herself. God, I would... they're such children (but in a good way).

Okay, so Suzanne. If you HAVE NOT read NMoTM, or didn't get the hints to who she is, then here we go... Suzanne is Chen's daughter, and Skylar's sister. She still doesn't know that they are alive, though, but really wants to know. I'm surprised that nobody has told her. I'm pretty sure that they assume that she knows. I'll try and clear up this point in the story. Also, this makes her a high position in the Serpentine's rankings.

Also, this will get a little fluffy. So... that's a thing too.

 **NOW THEN, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE STORY!**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Strange

Suzanne woke up like every other day. In the top bunk of the girls' room. She swung her legs over the side to realize that she was the last person up. That was strange.

The clock showed nine in the morning. That was early for a Saturday, and that was strange.

She knew that there wouldn't be a mission today, so she pulled on a bright yellow sweater and some jeans. Suzanne then noticed that Nya's bed was a huge mess. She made it every day as if she were going to sell it for all the money in the world. She was very organized.

That was very, _very_ strange.

She heard a knock at her door.

"Come on in!" Suzanne said with enthusiasm, hoping that it was Nya or Lily. Sensei Wu opened the door instead. He looked distraught, but his eyes lit up at the sight of her.

"Good, you're up. Could you come into my office for a moment?" he asked in a rush.

"Of course! What's happening? Where are the others?" Suzanne replied, as she threw her shoes on.

"Oh, the others got called out on a surprise mission. All your questions can be answered in my office, okay?"

"Alrighty, alrighty! Give me a few seconds."

"Only a few, please."

The Master of Wind quickly put her sheets in order, running a brush through her tangled mop of curly, carrot-colored hair. She set everything aside and dashed down the hall to Sensei's office, where she was surprised to see Zane and Jay sitting as well. Then again, everybody being called to a surprise mission on a Saturday was also surprising.

So. She could just say that everything was surprising in her life, for the time being. At this point, things were strange. Maybe one day nothing would be strange. Then again, one day could be a number of different time scales-

"Suzanne! Hello! Anyone home?" Jay laughed nervously. Whoops.

"Oh! Sorry! Just, kinda tired, ya know?" she smiled, scratching her head. "I'll just... take a seat." The others nodded at this, and Sensei motioned with his hand for her to place herself on the floor.

"So. Let's start with a good morning, first of all," Sensei remarked with a grin. "Then we can get down to business.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that everyone is gone. On a Saturday no less." His students nodded. "They are all on a quick training mission down to New Ninjago City. So, nothing big there. I just needed an excuse to talk to you three without them on my back. I'm not going to sugar coat things, so be ready."

They all leaned in, as if it was some big secret. Which, in Suzanne's mind, it kind've was. None of the others knew about it, and it was exhilarating that she was being told something like this. She had only been there for a few months, but had still managed to show her resourcefulness. Then again, she'd also shown her clumsiness, weirdness, and odd ways of showing friendship. Mostly hugs and making muffins. As far as she knew, not many average Ninjagans did that on a daily basis.

"My brother chatted with me yesterday during our monthly outing, but I say "chatted" very inappropriately. This was no meager talk. We discussed a grave matter that is now resting on our shoulders, as the main protectors of Ninjago in a more... magical sense." He said magical with a wave of his hands. Suzanne noted that Sensei often used his hands in an animated way when he spoke. She wondered how she hadn't noticed it before, for it was a very prominent feature.

"Before I convinced him to come and help us out, especially for Lloyd's sake, he was still in another dimension-"

"With multiple sets of arms, I might add," Jay nudged Suzanne.

"Blegh, sounds gross," she giggled. Garmadon as she knew him was a very old, but kind-looking man. More that two arms was more than she wanted to think about.

" _Anyway_ ," Wu continued, shooting a glare at them. "That realm involved a portal, and from that place, all of the portals that he used during time travel, and all the way back to when General Samukai first made the mistake of holding the Weapons all at once, have begun to corrupt the other realm. I first noticed when I went to retrieve him. There were creatures that weren't native to that area, and many patches of dark, almost starry-looking ooze everywhere. Somewhat like what the Overlord used in his siege against New Ninjago City-"

"Sensei, might I ask what this "other realm" is?" Zane asked.

"Oh, of course. It is a dimension parallel to ours, like a warped mirror image. The landscape is the same, except without any buildings. And everything is a dark, violet hue. It holds a large, dark aura everywhere you go. I hope that is a sufficient explanation." Zane nodded, and Suzanne could almost see the gears spinning in his head, or... however that worked. She just knew he was thinking about something, because his brow was creased. She was certainly noticing a lot of things this morning.

"As I feared, and as my dreams and premonitions have shown me, this dimension is being plagued by my brother's past actions. I cannot send Lloyd or Garmadon to fix this because they would easily fall prey to the temptation of the dark aura, and I've sensed that I need to send you three specifically. Zane because he has the intelligence to scope out any level of decay, can break down how much corruption we're looking at and how to easily destroy it. Jay because he has the determination and verve to keep the dark aura away easily, and he would provide an excellent source of light-based attacks against the corrupt creatures. Finally, Suzanne, because I know that because of Master Chen's bloodline, she can easily sense evil emanations, which will prove most useful against their attacks, or even lack thereof." Suzanne nodded, acknowledging all this as true.

"So, your mission will be a more... long-term one. Until we get all of this cleared up, you three will be in the other realm taking care of things," he concluded. "You will be out there for a very long time, how long I can't say as we don't know the full premise of what we're dealing with. You will be able to visit every month-and-a-half or so-"

"WOAH! That's how long this will take at a time?!" Suzanne blurted, going slack-jawed. "But... Nya and Lily... the others...! How are we even going to stay out there for as long as we will?!" Sensei held up a palm to silence her, and she sat back on her heels, slightly embarrassed.

"My brother, at the time that is, was a very extravagant person, so in this realm he had a place built for himself tucked away in a canyon wall. The view is actually pretty gorgeous from the front door out. There's a river at the bottom, and you get a prefect view of the night sky-" he stopped himself, realizing that he was getting carried away.

"Anyway, that is where you will be staying. Here..." He set down a large sack of tea leaf mixtures. "These are what will transport you to and from the realm. You will drink the tea, and within a minute, you will be transported there. The method that I used involved a lot of power because the portal was the best option. The tea itself tastes terrible." Suzanne and Jay made a face, scrunching up their noses in a small laugh.

"The portal method is too unstable to use, so I'll just give you these. Make sure that the tea is scalding before you drink it. My brother also set up a full electrical system as well, just for the basic pleasures, so you will have everything you need. Any further questions?" Everyone sat in silence, soaking in the knew knowledge. Zane cleared his throat before speaking up.

"Am I allowed to initiate experiments against the corrupt specimen?" he asked. Suzanne couldn't help but smile. He could get so excited about science, Pixal too.

Oh. Pixal. Yet another friend she'd have to leave behind.

"Of course, Zane. That is a good way to study the enemy, anyway. Anything else?" When nobody answered, Wu nodded and waved everyone off.

"Alright, you leave first thing tomorrow morning! Pack everything necessary, or unnecessary, you'll be there for a while, you can hammer out details-" he smiled and everyone got up, bowed, then proceeded out the door. Jay and Suzanne walked side by side down the hall out to the kitchen.

"Woah," was all she could say, and Jay laughed.

"Yeah, that was a lot to process in just a little amount of time. But hey, we're still all going on a mission, though, right?" Suzanne tried to smile, but it was hard. There were so many things that she wanted to know, and so little time to think. Just a day to say goodbye, and everyone was out on a mission!

"Hey, you okay?" Jay asked, his smile fading.

"Oh, perfectly fine. I'm just going to miss everyone, is all. I guess..." she had nothing else. Nothing more. Only reflection and... that one curl that refused to stay out of her eyes. She shoved it behind her ear, a little more anger that sadness at this point.

"We all will. But just know that their gonna miss you too, 'kay?" Jay replied. Her smile was back. She knew that she could count on Jay for just about everything. He was her best friend, and one of the only ones she'd ever had, too. She nodded.

"Alrighty, then! Let's go get some breakfast!" he exclaimed, tugging her sleeve behind him, making her run.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Goodbye For Today

"This is it. You're leaving," Kai said, sighing a little bit. "After all we've been through."

"You're talking like I'm going to die, or something!" Jay replied. Even though it was sad to admit that Kai was right. He forced himself to stand tall and grab his stuff.

"I guess... we're off then..." Suzanne said beside him with a not even half-hearted chuckle. "Ugh, this tea even _smells_ horrible... Well... down the hatch!" All three of them drank the small glass in a short amount of time, then everyone shouted their farewells, last second hugs between the three girls present were exchanged. Jay couldn't help but notice a small tear at the corner of Suzanne's eye, and he gave her a small nudge to the arm.

"Be strong, we'll see them in a little... argh! This tea... ble-!" And like that, they were gone in a bright flash of color.

* * *

"-gh!" Jay finished as they all fell to the ground, their belongings tumbling around them. He opened his eyes to nothing but a brilliant purple sky. There weren't any stars, so he could only assume that it was daytime. Weird, but he was accustomed to the weird.

"I guess that's the canyon over there," he heard Zane say. He lifted his body off the dusty earth and looked in the direction he was facing. An immense chasm was in front of them. He could see the beginnings of a series of switchbacks that led down the cliff face. He and Suzanne simultaneously picked up their stuff and headed after Zane down to the canyon trail.

Soon enough they found a small deck with some surprisingly comfortable-looking chairs on it. There was a door, and it was unlocked, even more surprisingly because Garmadon wouldn't normally do that, he was a very careful person after all.

"I'll get to work on a set of keys," Zane said to them as he opened the door. Jay was once again shocked to see a beautifully decorated home built into the side of this purple and orange canyon. And was that... potpourri he smelled? Jeebus, Garmadon!

Suzanne instantly set her bags down and ran through the seemingly infinite hallway.

"Wow! We can all have our own rooms!" she said. "This one is even yellow!" Jay set his items down next to hers, then joined her in the opened doorway.

"Do you think that there are more rooms like this? I mean, Garmadon is not exactly a "yellow" guy..." He crossed the hall and found the kitchen, and next to that room was the living room, and they were all in an open setting. Suzanne had found that there were two more rooms on the same wall as hers. Apart from the yellow one, there was a blue themed one, and a white room. Three bedrooms that were the same as their elemental colors... That was certainly odd. Especially considering no-one had been there in a really long time.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Zane remarked. "We have our rooms. To be honest, with a violet sky... I wouldn't really be surprised if our rooms were already made. Maybe Garmadon enchanted the place?"

The other two just shrugged it off. Oh well. Jay threw his items into his new room then sprinted outside with Suzanne, and back up the short switchbacks into the open air. The sky was growing rapidly darker, and the wind picked up just a bit. Her hair whirled around, and the greenish sun shone against her. It was a beautiful... night? He couldn't tell.

"Woah!" Suzanne suddenly shouted, pointing to the horizon. Jay hurried up next to her, and followed her wide-eyed gaze. Woah was right. There was a herd of... something. Horse-like creatures, except they were green with turquoise manes.

Suzanne giggled and jumped.

"Do you think we could eventually ride one of those? We already know how to ride our dragons!" she said, pulling on his arm.

"Maybe. Who knows what we could do out here, but what if there are already dragons here?" Jay replied, still watching the creatures. "Here... This is not home, but... we could find someplace to get quick transportation."

"Could our dragons make it here at one point? I mean, they can go to the Underworld easily, can't they?" Suzanne laughed again. For practically no reason. Then again, that's what she did. It was so childish it was adorable.

Wait.

He squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn't the time.

"Hey, you okay? You've been silent," she asked, giving him a small shoulder nudge.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, let's just go back to the... base? Should we call it that?" Jay said hurriedly. Suzanne laughed again. Geez.

"Sure! Let's go!" she said. They headed back the way they came. He couldn't help but notice that she hadn't let go of him the whole way.

They stepped back in, and found that Zane was in the kitchen.

"Amazing," the Master of Ice breathed. "Guys, come look at this!" They stepped over, and Suzanne released his arm. He couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"These appliances... All you have to do is exert a little elemental magic and anything you want appears. Well, only ingredients. I'll still have to cook."

"I can still make muffins, though, right?!" Suzanne said, leaning towards the oven.

"Probably," Zane replied, patting her on the back. "But in the mean time, why don't we unpack?" Jay nodded, and he shuffled into his new room. His bags were still there, thrown haphazardly onto the bed. There were two bedside tables, a vanity across from the bed, and a closet on the far wall. There was a skylight over the bed as well, which gave a nice aesthetic feel to the room.

It didn't take very long to unpack, but it felt satisfactory to know that this was going to be his room alone. Back home they all slept in bunks. It was nice, but a room of his own was a great change.

"Have you unpacked yet?" Suzanne's voice suddenly erupted from behind him, making him jump where he sat on his bed.

"Woah! Sorry! I just finished, and Zane's done with dinner, so... Geez, I didn't think I scared you that badly!" she laughed out loud. He probably had the most pale face right now. She really was a ninja, er... kunoichi. He slowed his breathing and stood up with a weak smile, only to have the air squeezed out of him with a hug.

"Gha! I'm fine!"

"Sorry!" she kept laughing, letting go.

"You're really silent, you know that?" Jay wheezed.

"It's kind've my job description, Jay!" He rolled his eyes at this, then walked out the door and into the kitchen.

* * *

"You know what, I think I'm gonna go for a walk up on the canyon top," Suzanne declared after helping clean up.

"Wait, we don't know the area quite yet," Zane replied.

"I won't go far, and if something happens I'll come running back! Bye!" she yelled, walking out the door.

Jay sighed, setting the towel down. It was actually pretty soft, especially for Garmadon's old tastes.

"Don't be out too late. I don't want you getting hurt by whatever is lurking out there," he said, watching her nod and close the door behind her. She wrinkled her nose and smiled when she did this, and a few stray curls fell over her freckled cheeks.

Adorable.

"It's happening again," Zane sighed, turning away from him.

"What is?" he asked.

"You're a hopeless romantic. Indefinitely."

"I am not!"

"So, you actually think you have a shot with Suzanne?"

"Pfft."

"Don't lie. I know it'll eat you from the inside."

"Shut up."

"What is it that you like about her, exactly?"

Jay let all the air out of his lungs in one long breath. Maybe it would be good to get it off his chest. He'd known for a long time, but never really thought too much about it.

"She's just... So... Nice is too kind of a word. She knows everyone by their smile. She doesn't even need to try, and she's like this with everyone. Plus, we've always been best friends. And... there is an actual chance because we both have basically _everything_ in common. Besides, I wouldn't want what happened with Nya to happen again. That was... beyond embarrassing."

"Suzanne is still cute though, right?"

"Oh my god, the most cute thing in the world! Or... however you would put that..." Jay realized that he sounded ridiculous, like a little seventh grader. "Anyway, you get my point."

Zane nodded, seemingly contemplating something with a smirk. Jay hoped and prayed that he wouldn't say anything. But who really knew? He was a mysterious guy after all, and a freaking robot. And they didn't even know about that until a little while back. What else could he be hiding up there? Maybe he would tell everyone back home while he slept. Zane didn't really need sleep anyway. He suddenly felt insecure.

"Hey, uh, you aren't going to tell anybody about this, right?" Jay said, a slight tremor in his voice. Zane threw back his head and laughed.

"What do you take me for? Lord, I've known you for so long know, and you still think I can't keep a secret?! Too funny," he told him.

Jay folded his arms and pouted. Of course. Zane had his ways about making him feel like an idiot. Oh well, at least he was true to his word.

Suddenly, Suzanne burst into the room, flinging the door open like it wasn't even there.

"Guys come look right now! _Now_!" she exclaimed, already running in and out, pulling the two men in tow.

"What is it?! Are you hurt?!" Jay asked her worriedly. Only the first day here and there was already a...

...threat...

There was no danger, just the sky. As soon as they burst over the top of the canyon, the night exploded in color above them. It looked like some twisted version of the Borealis, but that only happened in the north and south poles of the world. They were in the middle of the freaking desert, or something of that caliber.

Suzanne nudged them both with her elbows. Even Zane was awestruck by the starlit wonder.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she said.

They both nodded silently, mouths hanging open in a surprised grin.

The background of deep violet opened up the stage for the vast array of black, white, orange, and green streaks of light. These streaks were chaotic. Some of them were striped, some polka-dotted, and some were just little flecks that burst everywhere. That was just like this place. But yes, it was beautiful.

"But that's not the best part!" Suzanne went on. She raised a hand to the stars, and her hand emanated a yellow glow. She was using her elemental powers to _bend_ the sky's image.

Zane just lost it.

"Wha- how?! I just-"

"Try it!" she yelled out, hitting him in the face with stardust, or at least that was what Jay could call it. The nindroid wiped a little off of his cheek, rubbing it between his index finger and thumb.

"It feels like... satin. Or fine sand. What is this stuff?" he murmured. Jay smiled, and raised his own hand to the sky. It felt like putting your hand into a pool of syrup, but you could move really easily. Once he saw his palm glow with electricity, he moved it around, watching the lights flicker and snap in a circular motion. He could compare it to looking into a fun-house mirror. Warping the image a little bit.

Before he could do anything else, Suzanne hit him in the side of his head with her own patch of night. He laughed heartily and threw one back at her, missing her by an inch. At this point, even Zane was in on it, hurling his projectiles at the two.

This was going to be great.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: "Paw"sitive

Through the skylight, Zane could see the first bits of dawn shining through wispy orange clouds. He sat up and shook his head a little bit, not surprised to see a little stardust fly away. The previous night had been spent with his other team members, laughing and having a sort of snowball fight with the stars. Literally.

After all that he had seen in just a few hours, he didn't call that abnormal. He could test its abnormality with the samples he had collected though. They were on his dresser. Colors just swimming there. Practically begging him to analyze them.

After he went out to check the landscape that is. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, which was actually amazingly comfortable. He didn't really need sleep, but it was a nice change of pace. Zane quickly changed into his gi and set his bedclothes aside. Today was a day for exploration, so he thought of anything else he would need.

Zane shook his head, unable to recall any other items. He combed through his hair with his hands. A new day, and possible dangers lay ahead. He wanted Jay and Suzanne to stay behind and check out the new base. They hadn't seen every room yet, and he didn't know what Garmadon had hidden away over the long period of time that he had resided here.

"Zane!" he heard Suzanne call from presumably the kitchen. "Breakfast!" He smiled. Suzanne treated everyone like children in the morning. Especially before missions. Such a kind soul. No wonder Jay had feelings towards her.

He picked up the bag he'd set aside yesterday, and walked out into the hallway.

* * *

"So you'll be back by sundown, right?" Suzanne asked. Jay stepped up beside her, giving Zane a nod of assurance. Whatever was out there, they needed to separate the wrong from the right.

"If I'm not, I'll signal you. We have our own elemental flares in the palm of our hands," he replied. "Well, see you this evening." With a final goodbye, he stepped out into the canyon, walking briskly up the switchbacks and up out into the open desert and violet sky, the clouds now receded.

Zane had taken notice of a few mesas around the area, and there was a darker patch in the sky to the North, or what he hoped was North based on the position of the sun. He decided to head in that direction, to see if this was the corruption that Sensei had spoken of. He focused on the soft crunch of sand beneath his feet, and how the sun was surprisingly cold for a desert. He saw a small glint near his course, and stopped. It was moving.

The glint was slowly bobbing between two rocks, and Zane decided to investigate. He put his hand by his hilt, ready to pull out his shurikens when needed. The glint was still there, but softer, and looked more blue than just a reflection of light. His nerves on end, he lowered his stance, silently and slowly moving towards it. He was soon stooping over the stones with a look of curiosity. There wasn't much to see, but the blue glow was now gone. Perhaps he had imagined it. He turned around, and he swore he heard a sigh of relief.

He turned back, and there was a sharp inhale. A lifeform of sorts? Were they invisible? This realm was unknown to him. It didn't surprise him in the least that there were creatures, but something that could use the ability of the Anacondrai was unsettling.

He took his hand away from his weapons, and placed them near the stones.

"I do not know if you can understand me, but is someone there?" he said. Zane began to feel foolish. Hopefully he wasn't going insane already. It was only the second day. Then there was a shuffle, and a flash of what looked like brown and yellow.

"Oh, good. You can show yourself. I mean you no harm unless you mean to harm me or my friends," Zane went on. Then there was an unfurling of color. A small creature that had the body shape of a dog or cat, the ears and tail of a giraffe, and the same hexagon shaped patterns of the savanna animal. A pink base coat with brown marks and yellow tailtip and ears. And, most prominently, big, bulging blue eyes on a cat-like face. It's tail wagged happily, and it's face showed kindness.

"Hoiya! Mah nem is Moikka!" they shouted. Zane was tackled to the ground by the new acquaintance.

"My name is Zane. Good to meet you," he said with barely enough breath. "Can I ask where you come from?" At this the animal recoiled, fading a bit as it sat on his lap as Zane sat up himself.

"Ovuh day-uh," Moikka gestured towards the dark patch. "I wus hun-tin for food wen I saw yoo! Yoo look like yoos is lost, Mistuh Za-ine. Do yoo need hulp?"

"Oh, no, but... I could use a guide. Would you care to accompany me, Moikka?" The creature brightened, and her... his... their eyes glowed blue again.

"Hey, Moikka-"

"Yoo can call mee Moi!"

"Right, Moi. Could you tell me your gender real quick?" he asked, beginning to stand. Zane wondered whether he should pick Moi up or not. But Moi was already padding along by his feet.

"Moi is uh... duh won dat haz duh babees? Is dat uh good ansuh?" she said. So Moi was female. Good. Maybe he could convince her to be a sort of pet around the base. Suzanne would be happy that there was another girl around.

"Great! So, do you have a family?"

"Moi haz no more famuhlee. Moi's famuhlee were killed by dahrk man wif many ahrms. Do yoo have famuhlee Mistuh Za-ine?" Moi's tail curled and flexed as they walked along. Zane felt sorry for Moikka. Garmadon had taken her family, although he wouldn't tell him that when they got back home.

"Well, not blood-related, no. However, some of my close friends that I consider family are here with me."

"Dher ahr more uv yoo?! Can ai see?!" Moi exclaimed as she bounced up and down around Zane. He smiled, and bent down to face the creature in the eyes, even if it was hard to focus, as Moi's pupils looked like she was facing two directions at once.

"Well, I was going to explore that dark region before I went back... Maybe you could stay with me?"

"Duh dark awea?! O no, yoo ahr not reddy fo dat yet! Dehr is a looooot of poisuhn! Dat is why Moi left in duh fuhst playce!" Moi put both front paws on Zane's shins, trying to push him back the way he had come from.

He thought for a moment. He could collect some ground samples and head back, but that would mean that he didn't explore very much. Moi could be used as a test subject as well, and besides, she knew a lot more about this world than he did.

"You're sure?" he asked, bending down to pick her up.

"Mhmm. I can get leevs fo poshun! Make Mistuh Za-ine immyoon!" Moi mewled happily, wagging her little tail. "Lez go now befo duh stohm!"

"Storm?" he said, most likely to himself. Were there weather patterns in this realm? So many question, but again... Moi knew best so far.

"Wuns evuhwee too weeks!" Moi added, folding her arms. "Dey ah duh wohst! Raining stohns!" This seemed completely insane. How could Garmadon even stand a _day_ of this place? Then again, he was the Master of Darkness, and often had a backwards sense of happiness sometimes, even today.

"Okay, I'll take you back as long as you can get me those leaves."

"Yehs! Tank yoo Mistuh Za-ine! Moi doo yoo prowd!"

* * *

Zane entered back through the front door with a satisfied huff of air. Moi was hanging on his shoulders like a toddler, holding leaves in her jaws. His hands were caked in dirt after getting the plants by the roots, as Moi had instructed him to do.

"Dhe rootz tayst good!" she had explained earlier. "Tayst like bwead!" He thought nothing of it at the time, but then began to wonder if Moi would react to other, more Earthen treats. Perhaps catnip due to her structure.

"I'm back!" Zane called to wherever the others were. "Here we are, Moi. Do you want down?" The little creature nodded her head, and he took the leaves from her mouth and set them onto a nearby counter, then setting her on the floor. He walked a little farther into the base, Moi at his feet, bouncing along happily.

"We're back here!" he heard Jay call from about four doors down. Suzanne poked her head out from the next doorway, and her face instantly lit up. She put down the box of whatever was in her arms at the moment - they looked to be pulsating with a violet glow - and she sprinted down the hall and collided at his feet, scooping up Moi in an instant.

"Aww! You're just the cutest little thing!" she cooed, nuzzling Moi with her cheek. "My name's Suzanne!"

"Hoiya! Mah nem is Moikka!" she replied, hugging her with her little paws. The Master of Wind froze.

"It can talk?!" she said with a confused look. "That is... amazing! Oh my gosh we're gonna be the best of friends! Can I call you Moi?!" Zane laughed under his breath. He knew Suzanne would love Moi instantly. And she'd already guessed her nickname.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jay peek out as well, cautiously taking a step towards the new creature. His hair was disheveled, and he had a smudge or two of some sort of ash on his face. He was holding a wrench in one hand, and a rag in the other, which were also covered in the same ash.

"That's a cat," he stated blankly. Jay gave Zane a stern look.

"You know I'm allergic!"

"Moi is not a cat. Or, at least I don't think so. Moi, can you go over to Jay real quick?" The little creature stopped doing figure eights around Suzanne's legs. Jay froze, quickly shaking his head and tensing up as Moi padded enthusiastically towards the Master of Lightning.

"Hoiya! Mah nem is Moikka!" she yelled as Moi hurtled into his side, knocking him over in a heap of fur.

"Gah! Wait wait wait! I'm... not... flaring up! Yea-ha! Come 'ere, Moi!" he sat up abruptly, grabbing Moi in his arms. The cat-thing gave no protest.

"Yay! Mistuh Za-ine, are deez all ov your famuhlee?!" she giggled, purring with visible vibration, which Jay laughed at as well. The droid smiled.

"Well, no, we left a lot of people back home in our dimension." Moi stopped purring, and jumped off of Jay, who stood up as well. She paced back and forth, her giraffe ears and tail flicking in concentration.

"Dhere arr other duhmenshuns? Can Moi goe wit tchyoo?" she asked, with a hopeful glint in her eye. She sat back on her haunches and waited as Zane thought. He would have to run a few tests with the tea and Moikka to make sure that its not toxic to her, but he had time.

"Well, are you okay with me making sure you can even go in the first place? I wouldn't run tests on you unless you gave me consent."

"Moi wunna goe! Doo wut yoo must!" Moikka was practically begging, and as she stepped forward, her legs crossed and she fell on her face.

"Alright, then."

"Oh! Zane! That's what we wanted to talk to you about! We found a lab full of cool machines! A few of them were already scrapped for parts, but we found something else underneath all this weird black grime."

Zane arched his brow at Jay, and followed him and Suzanne towards a door that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen before. It was not wooden like the others. It was metallic, and slid open with a sensor instead of the traditional knob. Inside was a dimly lit room, as Garmadon would have kept it, and a laboratory filled with multiple racks of unknown substances, and he saw a whole row of them that looked like the star-stuff that they'd seen previously.

He ran his hand along a machine that was constantly whirring and had a violet light shining through a window. On the opposite wall from the door, a few syringes and disinfectant lay dormant on a mat of dissection tools. Somewhat grim, but they would be useful when studying plant specimen. He wouldn't dissect unless the creature was dead, sick, or of so low a life form that consent wasn't necessary.

"Mistuh Za-ine. Moi is feeling un-eezy aboot this plais. Moi feelz laik... Moi haz ben heer bufor," she mewled, cautiously, and worryingly shakily, stepping into the lab, and curling up around Suzanne's foot, who soon picked her up.

"Aww, come here, Moi. Wanna go to my room for a little bit?" she asked, rocking her like a child, which seemed to calm her down.

"Yeah. Tank yoo Soozan. Bye-bye Mistuh Za-ine and Mistuh Jaee. Moi will see yoo latuh!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Chit-Chat and Grit

Suzanne sat down on her bed with Moi still visibly trembling in her arms. She stroked that special spot just behind her ears, and Moi's tail began to thump happily, despite her fear.

"You okay, Moi? You said that you felt like you've been here before. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?" she asked, tilting Moi's face up to look at her. Although she'd just met this creature just a little bit before, she wanted to help her in any way possible.

"Moi dunno... 'S juss... A fee-ling in Moi's chest. A bad fee-ling, Soozan. Moi iz... scayrd," she said, burrowing her face into Suzanne's neck like a child. She slowly swayed side to side out of some sort of maternal instinct. It was nice to take care of her when she felt scared.

"Moi gets scayrd wen Moi doezn't know wut iz goin' on... Makes Moi feel... unsuksesful."

"I know the feeling," Suzanne said with a pang of empathy. "When I don't understand something that seems easy for other people, it makes me feel like I've failed. I really try, Moikka, I do. It's just that I don't have what it takes sometimes. I'm not the smartest, but I try to do what's ri-"

"Hoiya Mistuh Jaee!" Moi squealed, her tail finally back to its bouncy, happy state. Suzanne opened her eyes wide. He heard all that? Well... he was her friend, so what was wrong?

"Oh! Uh... I'm sorry... I just..." his voice was barely louder than a mumble, as his hands were covering his red face. Suzanne stiffened. She didn't do anything wrong, did she? She could try to help Jay too, in hopes he wasn't sick.

"Hey, you okay? You look red, what's going on?" she asked in a rush, setting Moi to the side quickly and giving him a hug. She let go when he gave a noise like he was hurt.

"N-nothing's wrong, Suzanne..." he said, barely audible. "D-dinner's ready..." Jay hardly finished before he bolted for the kitchen, nearly colliding with Zane on his way back down the hall. Moi did a flicking motion with her tail from the bed, a devilish grin on her face. Suzanne was so confused. There was something wrong with Jay, he was never this quiet, and the redness wasn't normal, and he would _always_ hug her back. _Everyone_ did! She nonchalantly rubbed the back of her head, one corner of her mouth parallel with her eyes and the other turned down, a true look of befuddlement displayed on her face.

"Mistuh Jaee weelee wikes yoo, Soozan," Moi said from behind her. She tried a smile, and picked her up slowly.

"Well of course! Jay likes everyone! He's a charismatic guy!" she said. "Now, let's go get dinner."

* * *

Suzanne stepped out into the night air. Zane had briefed them on what he'd seen that day before he came back with Moikka. A dark place on the horizon, huh? Seemed like it was a little out of the ordinary and sudden, but that was why they had been sent.

"Tomorrow, I'd like to take some samples of the wildlife. Can you two go out and scout?" Zane had said during the meal. "Moi will stay here with me of course. But as long as you don't stray into the dark area, then you should be fine." Suzanne nodded right away, but at the mention of "you two" Jay had gone completely silent and red again. It wasn't possible for someone to be allergic to people.

Was it?

She kicked a rock. Suzanne had been friends with Jay since the day they'd met. This couldn't tear them apart. She'd talk to Zane at some point about this.

But tomorrow, it was going to be confrontation with Jay about this. She wasn't completely sure there was an allergen somewhere around her, but she wanted to make sure.

"I won't give up!" she said under her breath.

* * *

Hair flowing behind her, Suzanne sprinted out of the vicinity of the base, hoping for an exciting day. She and Jay had their weapons and rations for until they made it back that night. She could feel the weight of the staff pressed against her back. Her footsteps bouncing as they hit the dust. The air flowing around her, and she bent it around with her powers to carry her the ways she needed to go - towards the nearest mesa - and she pushed herself up onto the ledge, with Jay following quickly and quietly. It was their job description after all.

She smirked.

"Race ya!" she shrieked, and it was on. Suddenly the world was nothing more than a cliff face and the sounds of her breathing and laughter, the tumbling of rocks, the clatter of their shoulder and joint armor, and clanging of their weapons against their plated backs.

The sunlight at the top blinded her when she reached it, and the morning air greeted them both. At the same time.

"I don't think there will ever be a time when we're not balanced," Jay laughed, nudging her with his shoulder.

"During hand-to-hand, you would win, then the next round I would win..." Suzanne said this while turning her wrist in a circular motion, stressing how repetitive the system was. "We still have exactly forty-three on each other." At that, they both caught their breath, and Suzanne moved a stray curl out of her face that was whipping in the light breeze.

Then she focused on the landscape. It looked like patches of skin under a microscope in the middle of the desert. Mesas and canyons zig-zagged through the land. The view would have been breathtaking if she hadn't been distracted by something orange within the rocks. It was brighter than the pale pink-orange boulders.

She squinted, and noticed that it was a figure wearing a cloak, and they seemed to have really large eyes connected with gold... oh, those were binoculars. Suzanne knew their mission was supposed to be finding and eliminating corruption, but Zane said that they could use another guide while he tested on Moi.

"Hi!" she called out, waving her right arm and cupping her left hand around her mouth to better carry the sound. The figure set down the binoculars, but Suzanne was too far away to notice any features, then they shook their head and bolted. She was about to run after them, but they were running in the direction of the dark area. Clearly they were from around here, that was a given, but she could have done something a little less startling. At least she knew that they were at least of human stature.

"What in the world was that?" Jay asked from beside her.

"I dunno. Maybe a curious local?"

"Local, yeah, I would use that word, too. Especially when we haven't seen any other life except for that thing and Moi."

"Oh, cut me some slack, it's early."

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now. So... where do you wanna go?" Suzanne thought for a moment. That could have been a good way to start out. Knowing where they wanted to go in the first place. She scanned the plateaus of stone, and saw a few bushed here and there.

"Let's go and collect some of those," she pointed into the distance, making a 'v' connecting two groups of bushes on the left, and two on the right, the center was a few rocks that created some shade as they formed a basic structure with two legs and a slab-like roof. Nature was weird.

"Alright, we'll meet up there," Jay said, putting his fist in the palm of his hand. "See ya there at around noon."

"See ya."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Collection

The scent of freshly dug up earth filled Jay's nose. He decided that Zane might want the roots of the plants they were procuring as well as the leaves and flower buds. The plants themselves were green leaved, but in the shade Jay could see that the bright blue buds glowed. In the bright sunlight, he wondered how much light they would give off at night.

He clipped the specimen test tubes on his weapon holster, then stood up straight and looked to the sky. It had gotten a lot cloudier than when they had set out, but the sun still shone through. Jay looked to the point where he and Suzanne were supposed to meet. He looked at the position of the sun, and it was about noon, so he decided to start heading out. He rubbed his hands together to get rid of the dirt, then jogged out into the desert.

It was calming, the quiet stillness of the air. And the loss of breeze and change in the air's scent promised rain. He could hear his footsteps crunching the sand, and the chains on his back clinked as he moved.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Suzanne walking the same way he was going. Judging by her position, they had set out at the same time. He gave a short exhale with a smirk. Still balanced. She waved, and he waved back. They sped up their pace and met up immediately.

"I see you're not dead," Suzanne said with a smile.

"Oh, nearly. Those plants put of a real fight," Jay replied. She laughed, and she snorted when she laughed really hard.

"I'm just - snort - picturing these harmless plants just turning into monsters all of a sudden! Your face is priceless!"

"Oh, come on, I wouldn't be that scared!" he crossed his arms, but laughed all the same.

"You'd be mortified!" She still kept laughing, because you couldn't stop her once she'd started, even if she tried. Every time she would snort, he'd laugh too, and he could feel his cheeks warming at the sight of her, she was tearing up, but finally calming down.

"Oh... Man, it's crazy what sets me off," she breathed heavily. "Sorry, here... let's just eat then set out for these trees I saw over by the plants I collected from." Jay was surprised to find that she'd brought muffins. Well, they were her specialty.

"Thanks!" he said before they both sat down. Suzanne still looked so excited. She smiled as she ate, and Jay swore he could see her freckles smiling too. She was simply a human expression of happy, all the time.

He caught himself staring, but couldn't look away, because she'd looked back at him.

"What's up?" she asked, and he didn't know how to answer.

 _Why am I staring?_ he thought. _Because you're adorable. Because it's a miracle and a curse that we're the only people on this mission except for Zane and Moi. Because..._

"Nothing, sorry," he mumbled, putting on a sad smile. Whoever had cursed him to be so bad in these situations, he didn't want to face them, because he'd tear them apart.

She shrugged and scrunched up her face in a grin. Because she was his best friend, and he was afraid to say anything in fear of being rejected, or worse. He could be lead on just to be rejected later, and that was just hell.

* * *

"You should just say something," Zane sighed. "It'll just destroy you from the inside out."

"Stop saying that!" Jay huffed and sat down. Apart from the new test tubes of plants and Moi's fur samples, the only thing that was haphazardly strewn across the room were a few books on plant and animal life.

"Mistuh Jaee laiks Soozan!" Moi laughed, stepping off the table in the center of the room.

"Not you too, Moi."

"You told me everything already, so you can't deny it now," Zane remarked, taking off his protective goggles and gloves.

"Sooooooo~ it iiiis~ troo!" Moi was prancing around the room like a child who had just gained entrance into the teacher's lounge at school.

"It's not that I'm denying it, I just... don't wanna talk about it that much."

"Which is why you should say something. You really believe that _Suzanne_ of all people will turn you down?"

"Soozan iz vewy noice!"

"I know, she's an angel, but..." There was nothing else to say, so he shrugged and walked to his room. He sat on the edge of his bed and looked up through the skylight. The rain had started, and luminescent yellow rain began to tap at the window. It wasn't toxic, Zane had checked, but they didn't want to deal with whatever stains it would leave. He watched the clouds churn in a motion like clockwork, all circling in tandem.

He couldn't tell Suzanne. Not yet at least. He just wasn't sure if she'd only think of him as a best friend or... God, he didn't know what she'd think. She wasn't extremely ignorant, just hard to read. Her emotions were everywhere, especially around her friends.

It was like he didn't know her at all sometimes...

It hit him. He didn't know where she'd come from, and he'd never really asked. They were best friends after all, yet he never learned. Another reason why he could never tell her. He was oblivious to her basic early background, or how she even became a kunoichi in the first place. That was the mistake he'd made with Nya. He'd never really gotten to know her. He was already closer to Suzanne than he ever had been with Nya, but he'd at least known where she came from through Kai.

Dear Lord, I'll never be able to talk to her again, he thought. However, something told him that Suzanne would be able to easily coax the happiest conversations right out of him. She was just that amazing.

* * *

"Good morning!" Suzanne smiled wearily from the kitchen entrance. Jay couldn't help but smile in spite of himself. Her hair was even frizzier and crazier than usual, but her eyes were still as bright aqua as ever, despite her tired appearance.

"Hey!" Jay beamed. He had no idea why he was so happy. Perhaps it was just the morning air, or the fact that Suzanne was making him smile, but he really didn't know why she'd sat down right next to him. "Did you sleep alright?"

"I slept super great last night!" she said. "I just woke up really abruptly, that's all. Dunno why, it just sort've happened."

He nodded to her, and she stretched out, yawning. She put her palm to her head, then immediately started messing with her hair.

"Oh, darn it. Why does this happen?" she grumbled. "Ridiculous." Jay laughed a bit. And it seemed like he'd caught Suzanne's infectious sudden laughter.

"It looks fine to me," Jay remarked, taking a sip of his coffee. Normally he wouldn't need it, but after yesterday's run and restless sleep, he felt like he needed a little something extra. Suzanne ruffled his hair back, making it a messier version of what he'd come out with.

"Aww, thanks! I really wish it didn't get in the way, though. Otherwise I might keep it like this all the time."

"Really? I'd like that. It suits you. You're a very optimistic and wild person, after all." He didn't understand where that all had come from. Suzanne was definitely rubbing off on him all of a sudden. It was even more of a shock when she hugged him.

"You're real chipper this morning," she murmured, still not letting go. He reddened, unable to move. He set down his mug and sighed, giving her a squeeze back. He then realized that she had fallen asleep, just like that. Jay decided that he should take her back to her room. She was clearly too tired to do anything.

Without giving it a second thought, because he didn't want to leave her in the kitchen, he kept his right arm around her back, but swept her up with his left, and carried her back to her room. She didn't stir, and was clearly in a deep sleep when he laid her down on her sheets. They were twisted up. Maybe she didn't have the best night's sleep after all.

He called this a friendly gesture for the time being. Despite what he'd said last night, maybe she needed someone to lean on, and he possibly _could_ tell her. After a long time of consideration.

Jay straightened up to leave, but Suzanne had a hand holding his sleeve. She was definitely dreaming. He brushed her hand away from his upper arm.

"I've gotta go," he said to no one, and she let go, curling up against her pillow.

He sighed, turned away, and walked out the door. He closed it behind him, running a hand through his newly tangled hair. Jay tried to get rid of his clearly red face.

"You certainly had an eventful night," Zane remarked, brushing past.

"Shut up," he said in a quiet, higher pitched tone. "It's not what it looks like."

"Datz wut dey all saee," Moi said, bounding around him and making him jump.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: She

Her footsteps echoed through the cave, and her head ached. The rock walls began to pulsate with color. She was having illusions again. Her belt held a vial, and she yanked it up to her lips and drank it before these nightmarish visions got worse. The corruption had done a number on her, but it was only because she needed to find something precious out in its darkest areas, this specific jewel that only formed during a rainstorm, and those were rare in this desert. She grabbed her canteen to wash down the terrible taste.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath. She flipped a switch, and her lamps came on. It had taken her a miracle to get her here, and now _she_ was here too. She hadn't seen her since her childhood, but that curly hair and freckled smile couldn't deceive her. And that Master of Lightning was wither. Jay, right? Yeah, that was his name. If Suzanne was here, though, in this wasteland, her plan had an unforeseen wrinkle.

She took out the jewel, and placed it on the table next to a strand of leather and a drill. She didn't want to lose it, so why not make it part of her outfit? The creature in the cage whimpered at the sight of it.

"Please, no more..." they begged. Their brown, yellow, and pink fur was matted from scratches. She glared at them. A lowly life form compared to the great beasts her father used to worship. She decided that this was as good a time as any to use her new-found powers on this cat demon. The crystal would let her do exactly what she wanted.

She held it in her hand, and focused. She willed her consciousness into the cat's mind, and unlike her previous times, there was no resistance. She thought, and the cat thought too, although it was forced.

"Tell me where the ruins are," she said, impatient, even if she knew that she would get her answer. "Don't make me ask again, Yoito." The creature didn't writhe like usual, and they barely croaked when they spoke.

"If I told you, you still wouldn't be able to get in," he said.

"That's not what I wanted to hear!" she hissed, and made the cat unsheathe its claws. It made a strangled noise as it scratched its own limbs.

In the beginning, she didn't use this method, but Yoi wouldn't budge. She admired this low creature for their protection of this sacred place. But if she was going to bring her dad back, she had to find this temple.

"I can lead you. You need me to get there," Yoi said. She had finally had enough, and released his mind. With this gem, the powers she had "obtained" from Neuro were heightened, and the blood on her hands seemed to disappear in a blaze of glory. She would force Yoi to lead her there. She wouldn't even give him the option to let him walk peacefully. She was finally getting the power she needed, and felt that time was going to stop if she didn't get it as soon as possible.

However, sleep was the first priority.

* * *

She could use Suzanne. She was a bleeding heart, and would never turn her down. They were still the best of friends. Besides, her powers were what she needed to fuel the temple's power. She knew that Jay was there as well, but it would be easier to use memories and friendship with her sister than just using him like every other guy she'd met.

She would set out tomorrow, and scout out where she could possibly be staying. The rain would have washed away the footprints, but if she knew Suzanne, she would love to explore the highest mesa tops, and perhaps even the nearby river, if she could find it. But maybe, just maybe, after Yoi got her in, then Suzanne would still be pure of heart enough to make the temple hers. She hadn't seen her in years, so she had hardly any heart left to give. Especially after she played her father for a pawn when he thought he was the king. She'd lost her kind instincts.

Oh well. As long as there was power in the world, people would fight over it. And she knew that well, growing up in a family of madness and worshiping vile, venomous creatures alongside her father, climbing through the ranks of the brotherhood until she was a special operative, a sort of double agent for her father... and herself.

So why not take it all for herself? That was her father's mentality, but she could easily play the game far better than any other man could.

Once she made it to the temple, she could show her father herself.

And Suzanne would be the one to do the deed. A small sacrifice for her great cause.

* * *

She didn't think it would be that easy to find her. She'd thought that this canyon had been completely abandoned, and that it was too steep to just live there, but perhaps Suzanne had gained some knowledge since her ignorant life as a child.

Then she took the thought back, because _he_ was there too. The Master of Ice. Of course. Did that mean _all_ of Wu's students were here? The thought put a grin on her face. Killing Neuro was one thing, but these guys were _personal_. It would certainly be a joyride.

Suzanne began to strap on a pair of leather gloves, and she adjusted her elbow and knee guards.

"Jay! Let's go!" she called back, practically bouncing into the sky with anticipation. The Master of Lightning came up over the canyon ridge, and she shrank back in an unknown version of recognition. Suzanne had hugged him.

She recoiled a little bit, and thought it over. Well, using Jay was now officially out of the question, and Suzanne only hugged the people she trusted the most. Sure, she was outgoing, but hardly understood the concept of love, and thought that hugs were more than a friendly gesture. This meant that Suzanne was attached to Jay. And she would have to find a way to pry her away from him. Perhaps Jay would be her first target.

People like him were overly kind, and would sacrifice themselves for the ones they loved. She thought of the many possible ways to go about it, because getting him alone was not very creative.

Skylor grinned beneath her cloak.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Corruption

Zane's view across the valley was phenomenal. Last night's storm created bright yellow puddles everywhere like polka dots. The air still smelled like ozone, and the clouds hadn't left, so the rain was still not done. They were just in the middle of a break. He judged that he had a few minutes to collect samples before it started, so he walked to the nearest pool of... whatever the substance was and put it in its own test tube. He trotted back to the base and just barely felt the ghost of a raindrop on his shoulder.

"I'm back!" he called out, and Moi instantly circled him, her paws making clicking noises on the wood.

"Yay! Welcum hom Mistuh Za-ine!" she meowed, tail flicking in happiness.

"Afternoon, Moi," he said, walking to the new lab next to their quarters. "Are Jay and Suzanne still here?"

"Yup! Dey're explowing te udder rooms!"

"Alright, then I can get some work done while they do that." So far, all of the plants that he'd studied were like wildflowers back home. Not harmful, but not of any medicinal or edible quality, either. Nothing out of the ordinary thus far except for what Suzanne had said was a human-like figure a few days ago. He hoped to find them, for they had run off into the corrupt area of the desert, where they weren't ready to go yet. Tomorrow, however, he planned to set out with Moi. He was a droid, after all, and common ailments took far longer to get to him than for Jay or Suzanne.

"Wee won't be aibl to go vewy fah witout duh flowuhs wee need," she'd told him. Moi knew where these flowers were, and she said that they were back where she'd began, in her old den. Moi promised to go with him, but they would head in the direction they needed to go to do their quick jobs. Zane needed to get in and out as quickly as possible, and Moi said that the flowers wilted easily.

He sat down his equipment, and prepped the lab for another test. He hadn't used flames on any of the plants yet, but so far they had proven very sustainable. They came out of water dry, didn't show any signs of freezing or thawing, and no corruption. The plants he'd gathered so far weren't useful in the medicinal field, but they could use them for practical reasons.

* * *

Zane came up to the canyon's top just as Jay and Suzanne began checking their weapons, and making sure they were secure. Their job was to find the nearest water source, as a fail-safe in case Garmadon's old appliances stopped working. They hadn't been touched in a while, after all.

He made sure that everything he needed was there, and Moi's poultice was in his system, so he started walking after the little cat, waving to the two behind him. They waved back, and jogged the other way.

Moi ran around in circles, and constantly jumped up just to say, "Hoiya!" to the birds that passed over head. They were just silhouettes, but Zane could see long graceful plumes for their tails, but hilariously tiny wings.

Soon, the corrupted land loomed before them, and Zane took a deep breath. All that preparation, and here it was. On the horizon line, he could make out large shadows moving slowly, lumbering towards an unseen destination.

He began taking samples immediately. Hands skimming over lumps of gurgling taint on the sand. Here it was in a mud form, and in others it just seemed to stain the powder beneath their feet. Moi gestured towards the lumbering shadows.

"Staee awaee frum dem," she mewled quietly. "Dey are big mud monstuhs, laik claee cuhm to laif!"

"I could probably handle them," Zane shrugged. "However, for the time being, I'll take your word for it."

After a while of collecting specimen, his hands were caked in the stuff. Black like bruises, with purple around the edges as it got thinner. He brushed his palms together, and a little fell off.

"Hey, Moi, how do I get this off?" he asked. The little creature sniffed his hands.

"Dehr's a liddle bit uv goop on dem. Watuh shood doo it, az long az yoo scwub really hahd," Moi looked confident, like this was where she was truly proving her usefulness. She was, and Zane was grateful. He move to give her a scratch behind the ears, but recoiled when he remembered the mess.

"I'll thank you later," Zane sighed with a smile. "I think that's enough for today. Besides, I think the flower is starting to wear off." He had noticed the violet on the edge of his vision, but thought it was just something on the ground as he worked. But now, it was everywhere, and turning everything the same hue. Moi nodded quickly, and leaped ahead back the way they had come, Zane following with a fast gait, a hazy heaviness slowing him down.

* * *

He got back just as Zane thought he would fall asleep standing. The corruption certainly wasn't easily dealt with. Not like a headache, or even a bad migraine. This was a poison that you couldn't ignore. Moi helped him wash off the sticky mixture of sand and violet.

"Blegh," Moi grimaced, scrunching up her muzzle.

"You're telling me,"replied Zane. Jay and Suzanne were back, and said that they'd found a fresh water source, a river in fact, about a half mile along the canyon's face, where it ended in a waterfall. The river at the bottom of the canyon had too much sediment in it, so the one above ground seemed best. As Suzanne said this, her face wasn't as cheery as usual. She was still smiling, but he could tell she was hiding something.

He crossed his arms and raised his brow like an impatient parent. Suzanne sighed knowingly. Zane could figure anyone out.

"What's going on?" he asked simply, lowering his shoulders a tad.

"I- I think... I think I saw that figure again. I swear, even. They were just there, and as soon as they saw that I was staring at them, they ran away, back towards the corrupted area." She shrugged, silently saying that there was noting else they could do about it.

"Anyway, how was the trip?" she asked, a real smile back on her face.

"It went well, but I still feel horrible," he said, exhaling slowly. "I got some good samples, but the flower doesn't really last all too long."

"Aww, well..." Suzanne thought for a moment before lighting up and inhaling sharply. "Here, you've done a lot for all of us on this trip, so you can go rest while Jay and I make dinner! Right, Jay?"

"Yeah, of course!" the Master of Lightning yelled from back in the hallway. Zane smiled weakly, and nodded, walking past Suzanne as she bounced up and down.

"Let's see what this kitchen can do!" she said aloud.

* * *

He woke up in a cold sweat. Which was odd. At least he'd slept off the poison, which got rid of his dull nausea and throbbing headache. He'd use his time more wisely tomorrow, getting more living specimen as well as trying to reverse the corruption somehow.

He looked at the clock. Three in the morning. Wait...

Zane wasn't a heavy sleeper, considering as a droid he didn't require more than a sufficient power charge, so how did he manage to sleep for almost ten hours?! He stood abruptly, nearly falling over, and rushed into the kitchen to make sure everything was okay. He halted and clapped a hand over his mouth.

How? How was she here?

She turned around and her eyes widened. Her brows angled towards each other, and her features drew into a scowl. Skylor Chen.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked. "You should be in bed like a good little student, shouldn't you?"

"I should say the same to you," he replied, then realizing what he should have started out with. "How did you get in here? This dimension uses a special portal."

"None of your concern," Skylor replied coldly, her fists flexing, finger curling in a tense procession. "The others are asleep, so I figured I'd scope out the area where Suzanne was staying." She bit her tongue, and it was Zane's turn to be tense.

"What do you want with her?" he scowled. "She is my teammate, so I will not hesitate to defend her." Skylor remained silent, then scratched the back of her head, a smirk on her face.

"The others are asleep," she repeated. "So... I might as well take you out first." He tried to react fast enough, but Skylor seemed to read his thoughts. He lit his hands with ice, and he stopped the knife before it could hit him in the chest. She replied with another attack of her own. She hadn't touched him yet, so she didn't have his element for the time being, so all she could muster was a swift kick, which Zane easily dodged before shoving her to the floor and pinning her down with his knee.

"Good thing you decided to "scope out" our base, because you'll be staying here for a while," he practically hissed. Skylor looked defeated, but tried to scratch at his eyes with desperation.

"Zane!" Suzanne's shrill cry sounded behind him. "What's going on?!" Her staff was clutched in her hand, and she looked ready to strike, more out of fear than offense. Jay was right behind her, and kept close to the shorter girl. He recognized Skylor right away.

"I never trusted you back on the island," he said. "And when I learned that your father was the one that captured Zane, I grew furious at the thought of you. Then you vanished. What do you want, Skylor?"

"Sky..." Suzanne breathed, her breath hitching. Her weapon clattered to the floor. "I thought... You were..."

"Dead?" the red-haired woman replied, stopping her struggles. "Can't get rid of me, Suzy." Before Zane could do anything, Suzanne had thrown him aside, causing the ice to break and the knife to skitter to the wall. She pulled Skylor in for an embrace.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: "Happy"

Suzanne cried- no- sobbed. Her breaths were a mess, and Jay put a hand on her back warily. He may not trust her, but Suzanne could never not trust Skylor. How would she not be able to when her best friend was here, after all these years?

Her sister was alive.

"I'm here," Skylor reassured her. "Hey, Suzy. Don't worry." She sniffled too, and they sat on the floor, rocking together. Suzanne started laughing between her sharp intakes of breath.

"Oh, thank the heavens," she muttered, loosening her grip. "Wow, Sky, you've grown up!"

"So have you!" Skylor replied.

"Hate to break up the reunion, I really do, but... Skylor sort've managed to get to this dimension and then broke into our home base!" Jay pointed out. "Can we just start at the beginning, please?" Skylor stood up, and Zane tucked her knife away. Suzanne had let go at this point, scrabbling up to her feet quickly.

"Like, how we know each other... or?" Suzanne asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

"That would be nice," Zane shrugged. Skylor exhaled and stepped back, leaning on a counter. The spotlight was on her, she guessed.

"My father is Master Chen, as you may know," she began. "He was the starter of the Anacondrai Brotherhood, and we were born into the "royal line" of sorts, and were treated like royalty. In the beginning, Skylor told me that our mom was a very wonderful lady, and made our palace seem like heaven. Guards and maids alike were all happy when she told stories of adventures, and they put smiles on their faces. However, two weeks or so after I was born... she caught sick, and quickly... perished, for lack of a softer word at the moment. We were all very shaken, but my father tried to teach me her ways. He was also very happy, and I guess that's why I'm the way I am."

"Yeah, "happy"," Jay muttered, and Zane shouldered him.

"Anyway, at this point, Skylor and I were inseparable. We were the best of friends, and always had each other's backs. When we were in trouble, we'd make sure to get out of it in the easiest way possible, usually with charm, Daddy was a softy. If I didn't have Skylor, then I would have lost a mother figure as well as my real mother, so we stuck together.

We were still born as Elemental Masters because of our bloodlines, and my father trained us well. Skylor's training was spent more socially, and she tested her abilities on the guards, able to tester her newfound strength through them. My training was spent in the shadows, where I learned to suppress them into a large spray of attacks, and constantly left me vulnerable to the poisons of the Serpentine Tribes until I was a walking antidote. I have had run-ins with the Serpentine since they've been released, and I still haven't had the chance to thank him. After this training, he injected me with Anacondrai blood, in hopes that I would show some sort of transformation. However, about a month after he began these experiments on me, the people of Ninjago burned our palace of wonders to the ground...

You know that they all drove them underground a long time ago, right? When they learned that there was a somewhat occult practice about the Serpentine, they decided that we were no better off than the snakes underground. It was the middle of the night, and we were sleeping, when suddenly we heard yelling, and we blearily sat up, only to have a blazing torch crash through our window a second later. Daddy ran in and scooped us up, running outside to safety. Before we made it out the door, someone threw another torch, and a beam fell. It hit the ground at our father's feet, and he dropped forward, losing me behind the flaming beam. They called out, but I couldn't answer, there was too much smoke in my lungs, and... I guess they assumed me dead. Then, I heard another beam fall just before the door, and I heard them scream. I thought they burned to death, and I barely escaped out of another exit."

"But all the exits were blocked," Skylor said in disbelief. "How did you get away?"

"A woman saw me, and I guess she took pity on me, and hid me away until it was all over. I watched as many members of the brotherhood were taken prisoner, either that or killed if they acted up. I watched as the palace crumbled. I watched as... the rest of my family... burned..." she finished, and her shoulders shook. Jay kneeled down in front of her, and Suzanne could still see the worry in his face through the blur of water. She threw her arms around his neck.

"I just... it was so horrible," she gulped and wheezed, choking on tears. Jay breathed slowly, giving her a squeeze. She couldn't hear him trying to calm her down. She tried. The images kept playing over and over again.

"Suzanne..." she saw Skylor say, and suddenly, knowing she was alive, she started being able to hear again. It faded back slowly, and she loosened her hold on Jay, and he sighed, helping her stand up straight.

"We did escape, Suzanne," her sister said, and she nodded at this. "We fought our way out, and Dad faked our deaths as he threw us over the wall. He had his vials of Anacondrai blood on him to show fake gore, as he always did just in case a Serpentine member tried to come in. No other tribe had ever tried to interfere with the Anacondrai, so what better way then to mask your human scent? Either that, or he would use it on your experiments."

Suzanne nodded again, and she looked into Skylor's eyes for a sign that their father was still alive. She could see that Skylor knew what she was thinking by that look. This was something they did as children as well, they always knew.

Skylor threw herself over the counter, and Zane had no time to stop her.

"Skylor, wait!" Suzanne screamed, but the door was shut before she even started moving.

When she'd made it to the top of the switchbacks, Skylor was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it," Zane muttered behind her. "If she's here, then she may not have the best intentions. Only Sensei knows how to make the special brew, after all. She looked like she's been here for a while, too." Suzanne hardly heard him. Her mind was whirring, heart pounding, vision blurring. Her sister was alive, and the first thing she'd seen her do was try to kill Zane. Maybe...

Maybe she'd changed. The Skylor she knew would throw herself in front of Suzanne to save her, she would stay by her side no matter what, she'd give her hugs, and comfort her when she needed comfort.

Who else could do that but her? That was what Skylor did! Her sister would _never_ run away from her!


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Ethereal

Jay practically had to drag Suzanne back inside. She was in a daze and refused to move very much, and would constantly mumble Skylor's name or, "I can't believe she did that." He groaned, and nearly tripped over Suzanne's limp feet.

"Oop! Sorry, Jay!" she said. "Wait, when did I get in the kitchen? Am I dreaming again? Was Skylor not here at all?"

"Not dreaming, and could you please stand up?" Jay muttered, and Suzanne jumped away. "You alright, though? I get that seeing your sister is a shock, but..."

"No, I get it. You guys weren't there, so its hard to imagine what this is like. I just... can't believe that she would run from me like that." Jay put a hand on the back of his neck, thinking. He couldn't think of any situation where he could even come close to Suzanne.

"You're right, I guess I don't," he replied. Suzanne shrugged, and smiled. He didn't get it. Was she Bipolar or something? Either that, or she could find the best in every situation.

"What about you?" she asked. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while."

"Wh- Me?" Jay stuttered. "I'm fine!" Suzanne lost her smile, and squinted, putting her hands on her hips.

"There it is again!" Suzanne pointed. "Oh no! You're allergic to me aren't you!" She stepped back quickly, and Jay laughed. He grabbed Suzanne's shoulder.

"Okay, that's not possible, what the heck made you think that I was allergic to you?!" Suzanne looked more than relieved, and she smiled weakly. Smiles, thank goodness. There were just some things that set her off laughing, and some that made her cry. Lord, she was ethereal either way.

"I thought that you were allergic to me because, whenever I'm in your line of sight, you turn red. So, I've just been wondering, you know? Maybe there is something in the air here," she concluded, smiling at herself. "Ha. I guess it was stupid to think that way, right?" Jay couldn't respond. She'd called him out.

"W-well, I haven't felt relatively sick since we came here," he finally mumbled. "But... I guess I haven't been totally honest about every-"

Moi purred beside them loudly. Thank the lord for that cat. She had wide eyes and anticipation on her face. Moi wasn't the smartest creature around, but she seemed to know when Jay was nervous or thinking about Suzanne.

"Hoiya!" she mewed, twirling her tufted tail. "Don' maeend mee!" Jay glared at the cat, sighing.

"Nevermind," he said before turning around. "But- just know that if you need anything, I'll be right here like I always am." He saw Suzanne freeze, and it looked like recognition flooded her mind. Before he could comment, she nodded briskly, petted Moi, and left for her room.

"Awww," Moi pouted. "Yoo wuh about to tell huh!"

"Moi, please don't," Jay muttered, and Moi's face went serious.

"Sahwee, Mistuh Jaee. I did not meen to intuwupt yoo." Jay lost his icy stare, and gave the cat a scratch behind the ears. Moi looked like she really did regret what she'd done, a look Jay never thought he'd see in a _cat_ of all things.

"I'll tell her one day," he promised, and Moi jumped on his shoulder, apologetically nuzzling him. "It's alright, Moi." The little creature lazily stretched her paws, yawning and mewling. Jay looked to the knife that was still sitting on the counter. It just hit him.

Skylor had tried to kill Zane. They should be looking for her, not standing around. He strode quickly towards the blade, and nearly jumped back. There was something on the hilt of it, which was made of some sort of elaborate metal with carvings of serpents on the side. There was a patch of purple that stood out, and wondered how corruption had gotten on Skylor's weapon.

Moi hissed in his ear, and leaped to the tabletop. She curled her tail, and flicked it, motioning for Jay to back away.

"Let mee get duh naeef," she growled, tentatively padding up to the metallic blade. "I wil taek dis too Mistuh Za-ine." Jay nodded briskly, and checked his arms for corruption. Just in case. He began to walk back to his room, realizing that it was still barely morning.

Within around twenty minutes, a murder was foiled, a sister was found, the sister ran away, and a poison was there in her wake. It was too early for this. Every day since he became a ninja, it had been a constant barrage of crazy, random and overall spontaneous.

"Hey, what's up?" he heard a voice in front of him. Suzanne was standing in his room. Or rather, he'd somehow wandered into her room. He should at least check to make sure Suzanne didn't have corruption on her.

"We found a bunch of corruption on Skylor's knife. I wanted to make sure you didn't get any of it," he finally said after a moment's pause. "Check mostly your arms. That's where it would most likely be." Suzanne nodded, and gave him a hug, but quickly backed away.

"Oh, probably shouldn't do that until I check," she said, pulling up her sleeves. Jay's eyes told him there wasn't anything there. But there was. It wasn't corruption. On her left shoulder down to her inner elbow, an intricate pattern of black trailed around her arm, with a red spot on the outer side of her upper arm. The black lines looked like curled snakes that twirled around.

"I know, I know," Suzanne commented. "I've had these since birth. I guess it's just Anacondrai blood." She shrugged, and at this point, Jay was just happy there wasn't any violet anywhere.

"Looks good to me!" the Master of Wind beamed, giving him another hug. "Much better!" Suzanne always did seem to wear crazy sweaters or long, billowing sleeves to circulate air. Was she ashamed of these marks?

"D-do they hurt, at all?" he asked, pulling back to get a look at her.

"No, no, they're just birthmarks!" she replied, but she had a nervous look on her face. "Maybe we should go check Za-"

"Suzanne, how did you really get these?" She hesitated, and Jay thought for a moment that this was an extremely private matter, but then she exhaled in one slow breath, and spoke.

"Okay, I got these during my father's experiments. They don't do anything, I swear. It was just the only negative side effect. If the experiments hurt me, then I wouldn't be immune to poison, would I?"

"How come Skylor didn't have these done to her?" Again, Suzanne hesitated, and looked down.

"My mother's dying wish was that nothing harmful would ever happen to Skylor by my father's hand. She smiled, but she was worried for Daddy's sanity. He worked furiously to find a cure for her sickness, but it was a magical ailment, so basic Ninjagan methods couldn't save her," she concluded. "When I was born, he decided that he didn't want me to die in the same way, or any way for that matter, because I was the last thing that he and my mother saw together. He started subjecting me to tests, and with a little pain, I got immunity, as well as a few... extra abilities." She pulled down her right sleeve first, and pointed to the red circle on her other arm.

"This will glow if I come into contact with Serpentine poison, but I haven't tried it on corruption, so maybe if it touches me, it won't affect me?" Jay nodded, considering the possibility, but also out of having nothing to say.

"Pain?" he asked. His eyes couldn't leave her arm.

"Just what happens when you have Serpentine blood in your system," Suzanne assured him, getting on her toes to hug him around the shoulders. She was, by far, the shortest of all the people he knew. Even his mother was taller than her. He hugged her back.

"I've seen and felt what that poison does to you," he explained. "Heck, I almost became one of them."

"So you got bit, huh?" Suzanne smiled, back on her full feet. "After a long time, I could control whether or not I become one for a little while. I'm a little bit out of practice, though. I could try!" She took three large steps back, and Jay could feel where her hands had been on his own arms.

Her hands began to illuminate, and she traced an intricate circle of snaking patterns in the dark, and the yellow changed to red as she opened her eyes, their aqua color becoming the same cardinal tinge.

His breath caught in his throat as she saw her pale and freckled skin was swapped with purple scales in vertically symmetrical patches in random places. Her pupils swapped with that of a snakes, and the glowing ceased. She was definitely Suzanne, the wild hair didn't lie, but she was different. Still adorable, but different. Uncharacteristically shy, but now she was...

Powerful, amazing, beautiful. And he was hopelessly in love with it all.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Serenity?

Nya sat on the couch next to Pixal, and Lily was in a side chair. They were all watching movies for girls' night. Even better, the remaining guys were all out on a reconnaissance mission, so apart from Sensei, they had the monastery to themselves. Usually, they were always on edge, because at least one of the boys would screw with them. So far, all that had barely interrupted was when Kai texted her telling her that they'd be back a day earlier, but that still left two days for the girls to relax.

When everyone was at home, now, Jay and Suzanne weren't there, so it was a tad bit quieter, they laughed and talked a lot. And yet, it was still about the same every day because Zane wasn't here to keep the peace. Sometimes she missed them deeply, and there were certain times when she wondered what life would be like without them. Things would certainly be different.

She remembered what she'd said to Cole and Jay on one of the greatest days of her life. It was the day that she realized that she didn't need anybody for a long time.

"I just- God! I didn't realize how much I don't need love in my life until it was forced on me!" As soon as she had said that, she had to force back a smile. It was true liberation, and it wasn't just because she had to make a choice.

There was also the time when Zane had first explained to Pixal the concept of love, and it nearly made her cry. She knew she didn't need it, but knowing that Pixal didn't know what love truly meant was so odd to her. What was life without even love for your family? The very thought of the nonexistence of the feeling was so alien to her mind.

With Suzanne, she was a sort of sister figure. A long while ago, Suzanne had told her that she wanted to try really hard to understand a lot of things about life. She had explained that she used to have a family, and that they'd died when she was young briefly, because it looked like the very mention of her past pained her smiling face. Nya swore to protect and educate her about the harm and wonders of life. She knew Suzanne wasn't ignorant, but some things she just wasn't raised to understand.

Nya sighed, and texted Kai back.

 _Do you ever wonder what it would be like if our parents were still around?_

She didn't wait for a response, but just let the thought sit visually. It was a frightening reminder, yet she couldn't imagine it. Perhaps their father or mother would have been the Master of Fire. Maybe she and Kai would have died in their place.

"Are you feeling alright?" Pixal said beside her. Nya nodded.

"You've been really distant all day," Lily added. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Just wondering what life would be like if it were like this all the time, with those three out of our lives, I mean," she shrugged, and set her phone aside, not bothering to read her brother's response.

"Oh, well..." Lily put her hand on her cheek, balancing her elbow on the armrest. "I've known Suzanne for a long time, and it would be odd to see her gone. I wonder what would happen if Suzanne didn't have Jay to hang around with."

"It would certainly be quite a bit louder," Pixal smirked, and everyone nodded. "There is a large amount of friendship and affection between them, and I firmly believe that Jay is a good source for all that bottled up energy that Suzanne possesses."

"True," Lily remarked. "But I wanna see them together. I swear, I've been waiting for so long, and I haven't seen them kiss even once! It makes me want to pull. My. Hair. Out!"

"Oh my God I thought I was the only one!" Nya jumped up in her seat. "I mean, they're around each other twenty-four-seven!"

"Perhaps he is hesitant because of what - for lack of a better term - "happened"?" Pixal suggested, taking a sip of her drink and setting it down with a soft thunk on the wooden coffee table. She swung her legs over the cushions and onto the floor, placed her elbows on her knees, and placed her cheeks in her hands, squinting in concentration with a thousand-yard-stare.

"I guess," Nya shrugged again. "It'd be awful if it were my fault. I really just wanted them to know that they were obviously the wrong guys for me, I just-"

"Don't blame yourself," Lily interrupted.

"Of course, it is not your fault. Besides, you may have not seen it, but I have," Pixal continued the Master of Plants' thought. She displayed a look that Nya didn't think a droid - excluding Zane - could make, a devilish grin that screamed 'I know something you don't'. Almost instinctively, the other two girls leaned in, interests peaked.

"Well, I have a higher level of vision, and can go back through what I see if I catch something off. Whenever I come over, I notice that whenever Suzanne gets close or gives Jay an embrace, he can be extremely..." she took the glass and swirled the red wine around. Pixal technically didn't need food, but anything that she could take in, it could be turned into energy. Although not being able to get drunk completely defeated the purpose of good wine in Nya's opinion, Pixal said that although she didn't have as many human emotions, she still had all their senses, and wine was a good delicacy once in a while. She could drink to that.

"Flustered?" Lily beamed.

"Exactly," the droid finished, finally taking another sip. "I'm merely thinking about what we could do if they do not come back holding hands."

Now _that_ was an intriguing thought.

At this point, they'd just stopped the movie and were scheming on the floor of the living room like tweens at a sleepover. Lily, despite being a tough girl who didn't take crap from anybody, was laying on her stomach and kicking her feet behind her, her slipper socks flashing in the half-light. Pixal's eyes glowed with determination, and the thought that this was her first attempt at getting two other people in a romantic situation, and Nya could read her expression easily. All she wanted to see was the adorable outcome, and she obviously was full of anticipation, her internal processor was humming with happiness.

"All I want to know is how do we get them to kiss?" Lily said, wagging a finger in the air to signal that they should get straight to the point. Nya looked to the ceiling in thought, and shrugged. She knew them both, but she couldn't read their thoughts.

"It's mostly getting Suzanne to want to do it," she finally answered. "We need to talk to her about what she thinks love is when she gets back. If she even somewhat mentions him, then we really need to just shove them together."

"Ah, but we don't want to rush them. We should ask Sensei if we could somehow get a communication link. Then we slowly make him her every living thought if we can do so. If not, it's all hope," Pixal suggested, and Lily nodded immediately. "Perhaps it could happen right away."

"No! Not while they're away!" Nya interrupted. "I wanna see it happen!" Pixal gave a small puff of air, which the samurai could only interpret as a smirk. In the end, they'd reached the conclusion that the only way they could get them together was subtly, and it was best left at that.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Trail of Paws

Moi grabbed more stems and roots off of the counter, chewing them into a goopy mess and adding it to the mixture. Zane gave her a pat on the head. The little cat purred with a smile. She went back to work with the plants. She'd gone out the other day to go find more of the flowers and leaves to make Zane's antidote last longer, so they could go and find more corruption to study. So far, the purple substance could not be removed from anything it touched, and Skylor's dagger remained tarnished violet after multiple tests.

Moikka gasped beside him, and he jumped, having to grab the vials so that they didn't fall.

"What is it?" he asked, exhaling sharply.

"Moi jus' reemembuhd sometin'!" she cried. Zane pushed his protective glasses up to his forehead.

"What? Is there something we missed in the mix?" he asked.

"No! Wee did faeen! But, der iz a flowuh that can help us! Wee cood go too mah ohld villuj!" she mewled, chasing her giraffe-like tail. "Den, we cood faeend sum uv duh old flowuhs dat cood maeek sumone immyoon to duh poison for a hol moon!" There was a plant like this that Zane had heard about in the book that Garmadon jotted things down in. However, he hadn't had the time to ask Moi about it since she and Suzanne were out trying to sniff down Skylor.

"Alright, how far in is the village?" he asked, and Moi helped him put rubber stoppers into the finished elixirs. She seemed to have opposable paw segments that helped her grip things, and her claws, although a bit dull, were easily able to cling onto things. Any she could inflict a little bit of pain. He'd realized this when something made the creature scared, probably a shrill noise, and she'd jumped and latched onto his shoulder. He put his palm to the spot where she had to be coaxed off by the Master of Wind.

"Moi'll taeek yoo! Wee can all go!" she purred, nuzzling his arm. He picked her up, and she assumed her position draped across his shoulders. She had an odd sense of balance, and she looked more like the old furs of otters and foxes that aristocrats wore years ago, except Moi blinked and purred and spoke in broken Ninjagan.

He stepped out of the lab and into the hallway, and he kept walking until he found the doors where Suzanne and Jay were sharpening their skills. He found it a little odd that nearly every door was different, although they stayed the same after you opened them, there were still things that he hadn't explored after two weeks in the base. These doors were shoji-styled, and Zane could only wonder if Garmadon had found them nostalgic when he'd created them. He took one door and pushed it over the other.

Suzanne and Jay were sparring in the middle of a giant training room. Another anomaly in this odd and chaotic palace. By this size, the lab and even the kitchen would have been engulfed, or rather, never to have existed.

They startled when Zane and Moi entered without warning, and Suzanne nearly fell over to stop herself from kicking her opponent in the stomach.

"Hey!" she said. "Y'done with science?" Zane smiled, and Moi jumped off his shoulders, running over to the two with enthusiasm.

"Dat looked fu~n!" Moikka said, not letting Suzanne finish her sentence. She tried to stand on her hind legs, but she instead fell on her rear, tail still twitching with happiness. Jay picked her front paws up and set her upright, scratching her behind the ears.

"Yeah, if you're winning," he told her. "We're usually pretty evenly matched, we are in a lot of activities."

"Too pees of duh saeem pod!" Moi jumped around, flexing her claws. "Yoo too are unsehpahrahbul!" The last word was almost choked out for lack of breath.

"So, what's up?" Suzanne continued her previous thought.

"Well, we wanted to see if you two wanted to go with us on a little mission... tomorrow, Moi?" Zane asked. Moi stopped trying to knock over a training dummy.

"Duh poshun will bee dun toomoroh mohrneeng!" she replied. "Wee can set out whenevuh!" The Master of Ice nodded, and he activated his aura, white flakes, and lines of color swirling around him for a moment until he opened his eyes to a new outfit. He had changed into a simple training gi like the other two.

"Alright, then," he said. "Who's first?"

* * *

Zane set his items in his bag, extra vials just in case the corruption was too much for the potions to handle. Moi padded in and jumped up onto his bed, which he still needed to make. He had been extremely unorganized ever since Skylor had attacked him. He was always looking over his shoulder, and it drained his energy to know the feeling that he could be killed at any moment. Because he didn't usually sleep that much, he didn't have a sufficient recharge every day. Even so, he had to continue his work.

"Yoo look taee-uhd," she said sleepily. Zane shrugged.

"I didn't know it showed that much," he replied, rubbing her head. "I'll just drink some tea or coffee." Moi put a paw on his arm. She didn't say anything, but she closed her eyes and hummed a little bit. Her paws glowed a pink hue, and suddenly he felt rejuvenation fill his artificial veins. It was like what Lily could do back home. She had the ability to heal many types of wounds, including a bit of Serpentine poison.

"You can use magic, Moi?" he asked the cat. She nodded, and her yellow ears twitched.

"Moi has a few uhbiluhtees," she replied. "Heeling is a big won. I can doo heeling anytime." Zane breathed slowly as soon as Moi lifted her paw away, a sense of life surging through him. They could use a healer in the base. After all, Skylor was apparently not as friendly as she seemed. He shrugged the thoughts away, and picked up his bag, motioning for Moi to follow as he slung it over his shoulder.

"Advenshuh!" Moi meowed.

"Adventure, indeed," Zane replied.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Day One

Her toes curled and uncurled in apprehension, she bounced from foot to foot, trying to pass the time. Suzanne finally threw herself across the couch, groaning.

"I can't wait any longer-er-er!" she flailed her arms and wailed. She looked up, stretching her neck across the couch armrest so she could look up at Jay. When she locked eyes with him, she smiled, and he snapped out of his daze.

"Is Zane almost done?!" she shouted, mostly at the Master of Ice. Her prayers were answered when she heard Moikka's happy cry.

"Advenshuh!" she meowed. Suzanne hopped up and out of the chair. She could use a little adventure, a chance to stretch her legs, and even a chance to talk to Skylor again. They were going to travel as a group this time, and watch each other's backs while they tried different solutions on the corruption. Moi had given them a little backstory, and said that there was one person that she knew would be able to get rid of the corruption forever with their potions. The only problem was, this mystery figure liked to be a loner, and constantly traveled around the outer rings of the corrupted area.

"Alright," Zane spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. "We know where we'll set up camp, and if we set out now, we'll make it by sunset. You two have your bags, right?" Suzanne and Jay held both of their packs up, and walked towards the door. The Master of Wind's energy pulsed through her, and it began to center on her feet, as she moved towards the darker violet horizon. Moikka bounced off Zane's shoulder, and Suzanne turned and ran beside the little cat.

The dust billowed in small clouds as the four moved through the desert. Moi lead the way, running in small zig-zags in the sand. Suzanne felt her breath circling through her system with each pound of her foot against the ground. They all stopped for lunch on top of an outcropping after a while, and watched as a flock of sheep with lizard heads and tails passed by, which was certainly the oddest, and funniest, thing that the Master of Wind had ever seen.

The kunoichi put her bag on her back, and stood up, stretching away the slight feeling of being crumpled and sitting in one spot for a while. She closed her eyes, stumbling on a small dip between two rocks. Suzanne yelped as she fell backwards, flailing her arms to balance herself before she plopped down one rock below, caught by Jay at the last second. Her knees bent where his arm held her, and she felt his hand on her back.

"Woah!" he breathed. "You alright?"

"Um, I think so?" Suzanne said. "Yup! All good! Thanks, Jay." She gave him a quick hug around the neck as thanks, and she heard a faint noise beside her.

"Me~yow, Soozan!" Moikka purred, dancing around and swinging her tail. "Oop! Nevuhmaeend! I don wunna rooin it, again." The cat demon stepped down by Zane, who seemed to knowingly smile and pick up the creature as she passed. The pair moved down the stones, disappearing behind a boulder as they picked their way to the ground.

Suzanne looked back up at Jay, who was beet red. He cleared his throat, and set her down deftly. The kunoichi didn't know what was going on with him, but she watched as he took a breath, and let his hands down as he finished putting her back on her feet. They ghosted on her sides for a moment, and Suzanne's light breathing held still for a second or two before they left, leaving her with an odd feeling of longing. For what, she didn't understand, but it was prominent, and she felt a good amount of warmth in her face.

What was happening to her?! She couldn't bring herself to move, and her stomach felt odd. The air in her lungs entered and exited wispy and shakily, and Suzanne thought she might faint if she didn't say anything.

"Suzanne?" Jay muttered, and Suzanne's heart rate skyrocketed. She didn't even have the slightest fathom what her condition was.

"Yes, Jay?" the Master of Wind replied, surprised to find her voice becoming sweet on its own. The calm demeanor that her partner had on his face suddenly vanished with her words, replaced by a flustered expression and rushing color. Suzanne felt nervous, and tried to look to the ninja for answers, but they both shot gazes at the ground when they made eye contact.

"I, uh... Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, and Suzanne nodded. "Good, and... Let's just catch up to the others." The two sped off down the rocks carefully to avoid falling again, and once or twice their hands would brush. Every time that would happen, Suzanne's breath would catch, and she felt the blush return.

She was going to find out what was wrong with her somehow, probably by asking Zane, since he was the most knowledgeable of the group. Nonetheless, they were making good progress, and were quite a bit more than halfway to their destination. They had trekked around the curved edge of the corruption, even having to cross the river as it thankfully ran right past the violet expanse. They were going to camp on a mesa right by the corruption that consumed Moi's old village, and spend the night before taking their elixirs and diving into her old territory to find the ingredients to make their solutions stronger.

* * *

"We'll be back in a little while," Jay assured her. "See you two later." The two ninja left the campsite, leaving Suzanne and Moikka to keep watch while they went to get some water from the river to filter and drink.

"Boi!" the cat cried out. Suzanne took a seat on her mat, and waited until Zane and Jay were all the way down the mesa before beckoning Moi over, who happily jumped into her lap like a faithful pet.

"Hey, Moikka, I've got a problem," she said. The creature's curly whiskers twitched, and she sat patiently on her haunches.

"Tel Moi evuhweeting," the cat demon replied. Suzanne took a deep breath, and began her tale.

"Right after lunch, I fell, and Jay caught me, but you know that," she began. "Afterwards, he set me down, and I felt... funny." Moi's mouth curled up in a grin.

"Oh~?" she mewled with a high growl.

"Yeah, my head was all fuzzy and I felt warm and nervous and I wanted... something," Suzanne went on. "And, I couldn't stop staring at Jay, for some reason, like he was the cure for whatever bug I got. I mean, I know he's my best friend, but... I dunno, Moi. Do you know what's up with me? I'd ask Zane, but he just left, so-"

"Soozan!" Moikka yelled happily. "Yoo hav a cruuush! You have a crush on Mistuh Jaee~!" The creature bounded in circles around the kunoichi, and it smacked Suzanne like a wrecking ball.

"I... I do..." she whispered. "Moi, what do I do?! I mean, I've dated before, b-but that was only when Lily or my other friends would set me up! I just never had the t-time to have actual feelings for anyone!"

"But Sooza~n!" the cat whined. "Mistuh Jaee haz a crush on yoo~!" Suzanne froze, her blush deepening to the point where she thought she would explode. She twirled a frizzy curl around her finger, and thought for a moment. Moikka could always be wrong, but the thought was so nice.

"Imyagin te way he will weeact when yoo tell him laytuh!" the creature smiled. "Doo yoo tink hee iz a good kissuh?!"

"Gah! Moi, don't! You're making me all nervous!" Suzanne laughed. "How do you even know that he likes me?" She could here the hope in her voice, and thought she sounded like a little girl.

"Becuz hee told mee," Moikka said, messing with her tail. The kunoichi smiled, putting her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. She was so excited and could hardly wait for the boys to come back.

 _Wait, how am I going to tell him?_ she thought. _And I wonder... What_ does _he kiss like? Judging by his kind nature, he'd probably be shy and caring about it. Or, maybe he's secretly predatory and rough, or-_

"No!" she whispered to herself, clenching her fists. "Why am I thinking about that? I need to stop, maybe I should just sleep on it- No, I wanna tell him when he gets back." She looked down at the river, the last of daylight shining on it faintly before the remnants of the sun were all the way over the horizon.

Moikka took confident strides around the mesa top, stepping with pride as she seemed to gloat over a successful mission. Suzanne never thought that a cat could do such a thing, but decided that there were a lot of things that she never expected to happen that she saw in everyday life now, so it was best left to her odd thoughts. Besides, she had other things to think about at the moment.


End file.
